Oakland Spine News

Mental Attitude: Be Right or Be Happy?There’s an old saying, “Would you rather be right or be happy?” In a small experiment involving one married couple, researchers tested this adage by measuring the self-reported quality of life scores of both the husband and wife over time if the husband were instructed to always agree with every opinion and request his wife made (the wife was not informed of this instruction). After 12 days, the experiment was halted because the husband found his wife becoming increasingly critical of everything he did. The husband’s quality of life score fell from 7/10 on day one to 3/10 by day twelve. On the other hand, the wife’s score increased slightly from 8/10 to 8.5/10 during the study. According to the study’s authors, “It seems that being right is a cause of happiness, and agreeing with what one disagrees with is a cause of unhappiness… The results of this trial show that the availability of unbridled power adversely affects the quality of life of those on the receiving end… Many people in the world live as couples, and we believe that it could be harmful for one partner to always have to agree with the other. However, more research is needed to see whether our results hold if it is the male who is always right.”British Medical Journal, December 2013

Health Alert: Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and Cardiovascular Problems.There is concern that long-term, untreated post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms may increase a person’s risk of developing cardiovascular health problems. Researchers detected the presence of myocardial ischemia in 17% of the participants with PTSD but only 10% of participants without PTSD.Biological Psychiatry, December 2013

Diet: The Essentials.Omega-3 and omega-6 fats are called essential fatty acids because we cannot manufacture them ourselves, meaning they must come from the foods we eat. These fatty acids are named for their carbon-to-carbon double bond on a carbon chain, and only plants are able to make a double bond at the third or sixth carbon position. There are no known animals that create their own omega-3 or omega-6 fatty acids.New England Journal of Medicine, June 2012

Exercise: Dementia.The Alzheimer’s Association states 5.2 million Americans are affected by dementia and one in three seniors will die with some form of cognitive issue. Researchers claim dementia sufferers demonstrate improvements in cognitive functioning and their ability to perform daily activities when they engage in regular exercise.University of Alberta in Edmonton, December 2013

Chiropractic: Asymmetric Hip Mobility and Neck Pain.Over three hundred freshmen college students underwent an examination of their hip joints and were asked whether or not they suffered from neck pain. The results showed that the young adults with asymmetrical hip mobility were nearly three times more likely to also suffer from neck pain.Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics, July 2013

Wellness/Prevention: Life Satisfaction?Does money bring happiness? In most developing countries, life satisfaction rises as a country’s wealth increases and people are able to meet their basic needs. Once income reaches a certain level (around $36,000 USD), life satisfaction levels peak and begin to decline. Happiness dips because more money creates higher aspirations, leading to disappointment and a drop in life satisfaction if those aspirations are not met.World Values Survey, December 2013

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